Simanaitis Says

On cars, old, new and future; science & technology; vintage airplanes, computer flight simulation of them; Sherlockiana; our English language; travel; and other stuff

SHELDON LEONARD: “HI’YA, BUD. C’MERE….”

I WAS WATCHING BOGART and Bacall in To Have and Have Not; not for the first time, I note. This time around, though, I recognized another cast name. His face … Continue reading

February 25, 2022 · 2 Comments

AIRWAYS OF AMERICA—1933    PART 2

YESTERDAY, WE FOLLOWED a 1933 airways route from New York to San Francisco, based on A.K. Loebeck’s book Airways of America Guidebook No. 1 United Air Lines. Here in Part … Continue reading

February 24, 2022 · 1 Comment

AIRWAYS OF AMERICA—1933 PART 1

“THE SENSATION OF FLYING is not what most people imagine…. There is perfect calmness, possibly a feeling of exhilaration, never one of fear.” This, from cartographer and artist Armin K. … Continue reading

February 23, 2022 · Leave a comment

NORTH KOREA TRIPPIN’

ARMCHAIR TRAVEL CAN be enlightening and entertaining. To wit, Michael Palin’s North Korea Journal. British polymath Palin is a member of the Monty Python comedy group and is also a … Continue reading

February 22, 2022 · Leave a comment

JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH—COMEDIC BARISTA

GLORIOUS BACH. OF COURSE. Majestic Bach. Sure. But comedic Bach?? And a purveyor of coffee??  Yes, as confirmed by his Schweigt stille, plaudert nicht, BWV 211, aka Kaffeekantate. Wikipedia describes … Continue reading

February 21, 2022 · 1 Comment

PALM SPRINGS MODERNISM WEEK 2022

I SUSPECT MY mathematician’s appreciation of rectilinearity attracts me to Midcentury Modern. SimanaitisSays has already celebrated this architectural genre in “California Cool” and “Postwar Architecture: Specialists’ Views.  Now from February … Continue reading

February 20, 2022 · Leave a comment

JOHN W. BURGESS—MUSEUM CURATOR/ARTIST/DIRT TRACK RACER

JOHN BURGESS KNEW AUTOMOBILES extremely well and also admired the American West. I have proof positive of this through his artwork and through knowing him as director/curator of Briggs Cunningham’s … Continue reading

February 19, 2022 · 14 Comments

BEN AND GEORGINA APPRECIATE BRIT TRIVIA

SOME TIME AGO, Wife Dottie and I had the pleasure of introducing Georgina to the American West; she reciprocated by introducing me to English humourist Ben Schott.  Georgina is the … Continue reading

February 18, 2022 · 3 Comments

DEISM—THROUGH A COMPUTER HARD DRIVE?

I LEARNED YEARS ago that our Founding Fathers were Deists. And I knew from Roman Catholic Latin/English missals that “Deus” meant “God.” Thus, I figured, Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, and those … Continue reading

February 17, 2022 · 1 Comment

ON ONE’S SAVOIR FAIRE, CHUTZPAH, AND BRAVADO

I’VE LIFTED TODAY’S TITLE from Peter and Linda Archer’s assemblage of 500 words and phrases that have found their way into English. Dr. Linda Archer is a Professor of English … Continue reading

February 16, 2022 · 2 Comments